Recipe: ALMOST THANKSGIVING WEEK: STRING BEANS WITH SHALLOTS

Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. Time to start planning the meal, making the shopping list and salivating. For the next couple of weeks, we'll provide some recipes that will shake up your Thanksgiving table and impress your guests. This one is from the recipe collection of famous Food Network chef Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa) and, thanks to shallots sizzling in butter, it smells as good as it tastes.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound French string beans (haricots verts), ends removed

Kosher salt

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Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.

Heat the butter and oil in a very large saute pan (12-inch diameter) or large pot and saute the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned. Drain the string beans and add to the shallots with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, tossing well. Heat only until the beans are hot.

If you're using regular string beans, blanch them for about 3 minutes, until they're crisp-tender.